Hoping to boost confidence in its Repatha cholesterol drug, Amgen said the treatment significantly reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death in patients with heart disease in a closely watched clinical trial. But the biotech did not disclose any data to demonstrate the extent to which the medicine reduced these cardiovascular risks.
Complete details will not become available until an American College of Cardiology meeting next month. But by declaring now that Repatha met the primary endpoint in the study, Amgen hopes to persuade payers to provide greater coverage for the pricey medicine. About 75 percent of prescriptions have reportedly been rejected due to the $14,000 list price and the lack of cardiovascular outcomes data.
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There is already a long acting product on the market for opiate dependence, Vivitrol from Alkermes. It’s not a blockbuster, and Q1-Q3/2016 sales for the combined indications of alcohol and opiate dependence were only $106 million.
Would you want to use an expensive injectable drug that ASPIRES to CV reduction of 25% or use generic simvastatin or atorvastatin which, reduces CV risk by 34-36%? Something is missing here.
http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/cardiology/heart-disease-risk-reduction/
https://www.drugs.com/pro/lipitor.html